iPhone devs can now automate app release dates, price changes

Apple this week unlocked new tools that allow iPhone developers and publishers to pre-set the release date of their applications and schedule price changes.

The new features appeared in the web-based iTunesConnect interface that application publishers — and all other iTunes media partners — use to submit and manage their offerings on the iTunes Store.

More specifically, the additions let publisher pre-schedule a release date for their new and updated applications, in addition to scheduling a series of price changes for those apps that will go into effect automatically on their target dates.

As can be seen in the screenshot below, a publisher can choose to release an app on March 4th under pricing tier 1 ($0.99) and pre-schedule the price to rise to tier 2 ($1.99) two weeks later. Successive price changes could also be scheduled in the interface; it's not limited to two entries.

The new features are the latest changes by Apple that offer app publishers more flexibility and control over how their apps are marketed to end users on its fairly congested App Store.

It doesn't look good at all when you writers can't spell. "Affect" should be "effect." No, it wasn't a typo. It was not knowing the difference, or at least not caring to check. Either way, it's unprofessional.

i wish they would have something like this for the website. it's kind of funny that a company that big takes the entire online store down just to add new products

I think they do it on purpose rather than for a technical limitation. They probably don't want fanboys clicking refresh a thousand times a minute to see if the new product is posted yet. Adding a new product is done weeks in advance for testing and it is likely only a single click to make it public. Clearly they don't do that when they are adding an accessory item, cable, 3rd party product, etc.

i wish they would have something like this for the website. it's kind of funny that a company that big takes the entire online store down just to add new products

Last christmas I wanted to offer a special holiday prices for my iPhone apps. The problem was that iTunesConnect, the website were developers can control their apps, was down for maintenance the entire holiday.